What Adam had feared most was their entrance into the gymnasium. Would Danny and his gang be waiting right inside those doors, ready to pounce like lions on the hunt? Or would they be lurking in the shadows of bright streamers, allowing the tentative couple to build a false sense of comfort before jumping in and tearing down her dreams and his reputation? There was only one way to find out.
“Ready?” she said.
“Not at all,” he said, but he took hold of the door and held it for her, and together Adam Blackburn and Vanessa Massey made their grand entrance. The music swelled and then came to an abrupt stop. Dancers broke their embraces, they applauded politely, and then in an unplanned moment of awkwardness turned to see who the new arrivals were. It was just a small beat, barely a second before the band resumed, but in that moment Adam felt every eye fall on him, a feeling he'd never before experienced in four years of school. For one brief moment, he was the center of attention, and on his arm was a girl so pretty he could hardly believe it. With streamers colored silver and gold floating down from the ceiling, the swirling lights of red and blue and green bouncing off them, the effect was better than any conjured dream. Here was a place of shimmering beauty, the gym transformed from a place of sweaty workouts to a fantasyland of glittering rainbows and endless promise.
As the couples resumed dancing, Adam led Vanessa through the dense crowd, not sure what they should be doing, dancing or getting a glass of punch or perhaps finding some friends in which to lose themselves. They were here, together, but did that mean they were joined at the hip? Just what was expected of him now that they were here? Fortunately, he was spared having to answer that, as Vanessa's friends immediately swirled around them like a protective cocoon, like they'd been coached, the team led by Tiffany and Jana and their respective dates. The girls kissed cheeks and squealed over their dresses, and Adam received a high five from Davey Sisto and a slight head nod from Rich. Adam was grateful for their attention, but that didn't stop him from looking around at his other classmates. Was Danny Stoker even here? Wasn't he supposed to be here with trashy Lucy Walker?
Yup, that's exactly who he was with. Sighting confirmed. Adam could see them amidst the other dancers, though what the two of them were doing could hardly be considered dancing. Their bodies were locked nearly as one, their hips grinding more than swaying. Danny's face was buried in her neck, his face concealed by his mop of unruly hair. Good, keep it that way, don't notice me . . . us.
Just then the song changed to a more up-tempo beat and the gang immediately headed out to the dance floor, Adam and Vanessa caught in their undertow. More group dance than intimate encounter, Adam found himself starting to loosen up, his body gyrating to the music, his eyes alternating between Vanessa, who seemingly had decided to just have fun tonight, her bright smile enough to light the dim room, and sneaky Danny Stoker, whose eyes had just lit up upon discovering the newly minted couple. Adam thought he should look away when his eyes met Danny's but then thought better of it. Don't show intimidation, don't show fear, and don't be the first to break contact. Be strong, be confident . . . you're safe within a group, there are teachers and chaperones around, Danny Stoker would be a fool to try anything here. Still, his threat hung over Adam like a storm cloud readying to release its pent-up rains. The song changed again. The gang stayed out on the dance floor. They were settling in, ready to enjoy the long night. Adam tried to do the same.
Finally, sweat from dancing dotting his brow and trickling down the back of his tuxedo shirt, he whispered into Vanessa's ear that perhaps they could take a break, grab a beverage.
“Oh, okay, that would be nice.”
He escorted her over to the punch bowl in the corner, where he poured out two ladles of the fruity drink into red plastic tumblers. He handed one to Vanessa, hoisted the other in a toast.
“To the most beautiful girl on the dance floor,” he said.
Vanessa's face turned the color of punch, matching the flower in her hair. “Adam . . . you don't have to say that. I mean, it's nice and . . . it's just, remember, we're only friends.”
“And friends can't be honest with each other?”
“Thank you. You look very handsome in your tux. Sorry I didn't say so earlier.”
“This old thing?” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
She laughed, her smile helping to evaporate the tension between them.
“Are you glad you're here?” he asked.
“I think so. It's nice to see how the gym looksâJana and I worked on the committee that helped get it set up, but you never know what it's going to look like until you see it with those nasty fluorescent lights off and the band playing and the way the dance balls gleam off the streamers. So, yeah, I'm glad I'm here. Thank you.”
“Everyone is staring at us.”
“At me,” she said. “Sorry, that sounds so self-centered, but usually the other kids look at me with envy, but now it's definitely something elseâlike I'm part of a freak show.”
“Welcome to my life,” he said.
“How do you do it . . . being made fun of, people judging you when they don't know you?”
He shrugged. “I guess you put it out of your mind. You go to your classes, you study, you end up with straight As. And you get a scholarship to an Ivy League school that promises to take you away from all the petty things that high school seems to be about.”
“Ivy League?”
“Princeton.”
“Wow, I didn't know,” she said, sipping her drink. “Congratulations.”
“That's how I survived, knowing that once high school was over I could get the heck out of Danton Hill and away from all these people. College opens up a new life, new opportunities to find your real self, free from peer pressure and family expectations. I'll be on my own and that's just how I prefer it. The day after graduation, I'm outta here. I'm going to take a couple summer courses to get acclimated, and then in the fall I go full-time. I can't see myself ever coming back to Danton Hill.”
“What about your family?”
“It's just my folks, no siblings, and frankly they can't wait to put the house on the market and move down to Florida. This dance is my swan song to Danton Hill, and frankly I'm honored that I get to leave on such a high note. Being here at the senior promâbeing here with you.”
“Adam Blackburn, I think you're really special and I'm lucky to have you as my date,” Vanessa suddenly said, her hand touching his shoulder as she leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek.
He didn't have a chance to react to such an unexpected treat. Someone bumped him from behind and his punch glass went flying into the air, the red-colored beverage nearly threatening to splash against Vanessa's dress. Adam reacted by pushing her out of the way, taking the brunt of the hit. Droplets of punch landed on his tuxedo jacket and shirt, the sugary juice settling in for a permanent stain.
“Oh, gee, did I do that . . . how clumsy of me.”
Adam didn't even have to see the face to know the identity of who had slammed him.
“A simple accident, I'm sure,” Adam said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
“Danny, get the hell away from us,” Vanessa said.
He did nothing of the kind. He just stood there with a disgusting smile on his face, his arm wrapped tight around his date's waist. Lucy Walker's blond hair was teased and curly, her dress low and revealing. Her makeup was overdone, and Adam thought she looked awful, like Danny had found her on some street corner. Comparatively, Vanessa looked the very picture of class, a vision in red and purple. And in the moment, he got it, that Danny Stoker wasn't mad at Adam, or at Vanessa. He was angry with himself for being in this position in the first place; he'd overplayed his hand when Vanessa had rejected his advances. Adam had to believe Danny never envisioned attending this dance with anyone else. He was making trouble to lessen his own pain.
“You look nice, Nessa, really nice,” Danny said.
“Hey,” Lucy said, smacking him on his arm. “You barely said that to me!”
He ignored his date. “So, Nessa, you wanna dance?” Danny asked.
Adam watched Vanessa carefully, curious to see what she would do. Was this all she desired, to be suddenly respected by the boy she'd swooned over all through high school? He had a feeling deep down that she wanted to accept his invitation and be whisked onto the dance floor, with the crowd applauding the king and queen as crowns were placed ceremoniously upon their heads. He wondered if there was a bucket of pig's blood awaiting him.
“Danny, not if you were the last boy on earth,” she said. “Adam, shall we dance?”
She took hold of his freshly sweaty palm. If she noticed, she didn't let it show, and Adam tightened his grip that much more to let her know he was with her, that he appreciated her act of loyalty. But before they could make their way to the dance floor, Adam felt a hard tug on his arm. He turned to find Danny right up in his face.
“Fifteen minutes,” he whispered, so only Adam could hear. “The gym office. Prepare to die.”
So the two couples had endured their juvenile confrontation, they'd gone to separate corners of the gym, Adam and Vanessa reuniting on the dance floor while Danny and Lucy disappeared into the dense crowd. As they danced, Vanessa tried to get Adam to tell her what Danny had said, but he refused to speak about it, not wanting to spoil any more of their evening. With their friends once again surrounding them, comfort again set in, and the dance continued, even when the band switched tempo and a slow dance began. For a split second, Adam and Vanessa stood without moving, unsure what to do next. But then he took her hand, and he moved her once, twice, a third time around the floor, feeling the music, feeling a rush of emotion accompanying their clumsy elegance. He cautiously avoided eye contact, concentrating instead on the motion and movement of their bodies, letting the language of dance speak the words they were afraid to give voice to. Time meant nothing suddenly, the song seemed both endless and like it had just begun, allowing the two near strangers the chance to connect on a level neither of them expected. Nothing could spoil this unexpected moment.
Except three large boys who walked out onto the dance floor and interrupted their dance. Danny's entourage, football players, linebackers. The same jerks from yesterday.
“Time's up, kid. You had your fun,” one of them said.
“Danny's turn,” the second offered.
The third kid just sniggered.
Vanessa did her best to intervene, protesting to leave them alone, all while pulling on Adam's arm to keep him from being dragged forward. Her efforts were fruitless, David had nothing on these dumb Goliaths; the weak would not prevail this time. As Adam found himself being led off, Vanessa followed behind, berating them, pleading that they let Adam go, her head swirling, looking for the useless chaperones. The music grew toward a crescendo, drowning out her requests. Danny's friends wouldn't have listened anyway, thugs that they were. Only their leader gave orders.
Adam was thrust inside the small office located at the edge of the gym. Sounds filled the air, grunts, laughter, dirty words whispered only in private. Though the lights were off, his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and he could see two bodies entwined, one of them lying flat on the desk, legs splayed in the air. The other figure hovered above, holding the legs with his hands as he moved, bucked, thrust.
A light from behind suddenly shed illumination on the urgent sexual coupling of Danny Stoker and Lucy Walker, she lost amidst drunken passion, he staring straight ahead at Adam with a wide grin on his face. Adam realized this little show was being put on not just for his benefit, but for Vanessa . . . who stood behind him, her hand covering her mouth in disgust. Danny might be having his way with Lucy at this very second, but the message was more than clearâDanny was screwing with them all, most of all with Vanessa. With the three thugs standing guard on the other side of the door, Adam and Vanessa were trapped, laid witness to what was transpiring, and the only thing they could do was watch, wait, listen.
Adam wrapped Vanessa in his arms, shielding her eyes. She covered her ears, but Adam doubted that would accomplish much, given the vocal performances emanating from the couple on the desk. Finally, the cruel scene came to a finish, with Danny practically tossing Lucy aside as he told her to get cleaned up. “And then get out of here, I don't need you anymore.” She retreated out of sight without arguing, like she was accustomed to being discarded.
“You're disgusting, Danny.”
“Jealous, Nessa?”
“Don't talk to her, Danny. You got a problem with me, let's settle it. But how you could treat Vanessa this way . . . any girl . . . you're beyond contempt. If you even know what that means. And I realize this little show was for her benefit, not mine. You just used me to hurt her even more.”
“Oh, the valiant new boyfriend, standing up for the girl he could never have.”
Adam felt a certain power rising within some hidden part of himself. He wanted to rush him, sack the quarterback to the point where he'd never get up and his career would be over, and he'd have to live his life with only this one victory. But it wasn't to be, at least not coming from Adam. He'd hesitated too long.
Vanessa rushed forward unexpectedly, surprising both Adam and Danny. She landed a hard smack to Danny's smirking face, nearly knocking him to the floor. He stumbled back against the chair, and that's when she landed another blow, a fierce kick right to his groin. Danny doubled over in howling pain as this time he did drop. Adam watched as he vomited a spew of red; it was only the punch, laced with vodka. Man, she must have landed quite a blow.